A Surprising Turn of Events

Good Friday to You,

Last weekend, the Nave family took a trip down to Beggs Family Farm. Though we weren’t all able to go, most of us piled into our Suburban (affectionately called “The Burb” at our house) to make the hour and a half long trip down to Blodgett, Missouri. The farm is six miles north of Sikeston – a great excuse to swing by and catch a few “throwed rolls”. We were all excited about the fun that awaited just across the Mississippi.

Driving down, the attraction we most anticipated was the 10 acre corn maze. Maybe it was the satellite images of previous years’ mazes? Maybe it was fueled by my childhood memories of running through corn fields? Maybe it was the thrill of scenes from old horror flicks; murderers coming out of the corn? I’m not sure, but we sure were looking forward to the big maze!

Maybe we waited too long and we were already worn out? Maybe it was that our “littles” (Trinae and Keyan) were simply not into it? Maybe it was that shortcuts had been created by earlier “mazers”? Maybe we didn’t try hard enough or long enough? Whatever the cause, the 10-acre corn maze was a bust! The bling that drew us there had disappointed us.

Surprisingly, it was all the little attractions that we enjoyed. A pile of corn. Petting farm animals. Lassoing a fake cow while sitting on a fake horse. An air inflated trampoline. Pig races. A slide made from a HUGE drainage pipe. Rolling around in sections of massive drainage pipe. It was also fun to see at least four other Cornerstone families in the throng of people enjoying the Family Farm that day.

Ironically, my favorite attraction was a smaller maze made from steel posts and mesh fencing. It was MUCH better than the over-hyped 10 acre letdown. Don’t get me wrong, it was still difficult. But, It was small enough that when I backtracked from hitting a dead end, I could keep track of where I had been (I was competitive, racing Parker and Layton). I could see where I needed to be and slowly figure out how to get there.

Before we arrived, you could not have convinced me that I would prefer the “kiddie” maze. Yet, it turned out to be my favorite activity of the whole day! In a word, it was Better.

This weekend, we begin a new series of teachings about the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is arguably the least known member of The Trinity. Yet, Jesus told His disciples it would be far better for Him to leave and send the Spirit than for Him to remain with them in His physical form. You just might be as surprised about the Holy Spirit as I was by my experience on a farm in Missouri last Saturday! You can get a sneak peak and a head start by reading our passage for this weekend.